On Monday, the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the national council of science museums (NCSM) of the ministry of culture, marking the first step toward the establishment of the ‘Natural History Park Museum and Research Institute.’ The DPR will most likely be completed within the next six months.
The VMRDA has identified roughly 15 acres of land in Kapuluppada in the city to develop the NHPM&RI, which is said to be the first of its type in India.
This project has seven components: ‘fauna in India,’ ‘non-renewable energy,’ ‘the oceans,”research institute,’ ‘arrival of man,’ ‘life through the centuries,’ and’minerals, rocks, and fossils.’
In 2014, the state government issued an order to create a public-private partnership (PPP) for this project. The ministry of earth sciences also gave its approval.
The project is estimated to cost Rs. 88 crore in the outset. The VMRDA will contribute roughly 50 crore to the project, while the union ministry of earth sciences would approve the rest 38 crore.
The project’s different components were explained by Prof KV Subba Rao, member secretary of the AP Natural History Park and Museum Trust. Prof Subba Rao said, “With the beginning of the NHPM project, Visakhapatnam will now have a theme park with simulated flora and fauna from various areas, as well as a geology museum with rocks, minerals, and fossils from various parts of the country.”
The director of NCSM, Samarendra Kumar, and VMRDA chairperson A Vijaya Nirmala, as well as metropolitan commissioner K Venkata Ramana Reddy, exchanged the MoU paperwork.
Samarendra Kumar discussed NCSM’s current and finished projects across the country, as well as how the Vizag project will be unique in terms of technology, concept, and themes.
Indoor exhibitions on “dynamics of earth,” “origin and evolution of life,” “ocean sciences,” “planets,” and “geophysical aspects of Visakhapatnam,” according to Vijaya Nirmala and Venkata Ramana Reddy.
This park will feature an outdoor fossil park, butterfly enclave, and dinosaur park. A research institute will be built as part of the project to enable students to develop a research culture in addition to working on exhibits and collections.
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